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Inspired by a longstanding respect for the pioneering sounds of Cluster, Neu!, Harmonia & John Foxx, the legendary K. Leimer fuses tape loops, Moog tones and a variety of real and imagined instruments into an immersive journey brimming with electronic emotion throughout this homage, 'Mitteltöner.'

A key figure in America's musical avant garde, Leimer's experiments with tape manipulation, fractal loops and textured ambience have been well documented in recent times, with RVNG and VOD both offering excellent and exhaustive retrospectives of the artist's seventies and eighties output. Tracing Leimer's discography from 1979's 'Translucent: / Memory' to 1983's 'Installation View', via the dislocated rhythms of the Savant project, these archival releases detail a move from the pastoral synthesis of kosmische into more angular, experimental territories. Simultaneously looking to the past and the future, this Origin Peoples release is both a return to Leimer's earliest stylistic explorations, and his first vinyl release of original work in twenty five years.

Oddly for such a sonic outlier, 'Mitteltöner' (midrange to non teutophones) takes its conceptual cues from the idea that the midrange contains all the core information. Over ten tracks, Leimer employs subtlety and skill to navigate the emotional depth of the kosmische genre while maintaining the focus and detail which has remained constant in his work.

Opener 'Dunne Luft' owes as much to post rock as krautrock, evolving from chiming harmonics and understated rhythms into an optimistic roar of motorik percussion and towering guitars. From there, 'Webermelodie' dives into crystalline calm, tracing delicate arps around a processed groove before 'Anode' sends us skywards, drifting through glistening piano refrains and hypnotic sequences. Te dramatic 'As Long Ago As This' glides through a deserted city of metal and glass leaving the measured ambience of 'Entferntemusik ' to close out the side in a swell of static.

Leimer shifts tone as we move onto the flip, segueing the stomping, cybernetic Sturm Und Drang of 'German Defaults' into the propulsive electronics of 'London Interiors', a dynamic sample-topped suite in the tradition of Bill Nelson. The addition of graceful piano motifs and swathes of hazy synthesis lends a tranquillity to the pulsating bass of 'Auf Einem Fahrrad', while 'SHM' marries soothing melody and crunching rhythm into a thoroughly medicated experience. Finally, 'Café Florian' pays homage to Schneider or Fricke with a euphoric fusion of metallic percussion and esoteric energies.

Far from a simple homage to the electronic idols of his youth, 'Mitteltöner' finds K. Leimer reimagining their nuanced sonic framework through a lifetime of musical experience and experimentation.

Rat Life Records presents Serial Error a Project by Credit 00, Jacob Korn & Sneaker. This outfit was brought to life in 2013 when Red D called for some New Beat style tracks for his "Our Beat Is Still New" Compilation. Flying a bit too low under the radar ever since Rat Life decided to reissue Drum Abuse on a Super Sound Maxi Single. The Track was made in Jacob Korn's headquarter studio / synthesizer museum. The task distribution was hit quickly: Jacob squeezing the acid out of his huge Formant modular system, Credit 00 beating the drums on the Boss DR 660 and Sneaker throwing his unique vocals on top!

'Y.O.U' is an emotive album of tripped out ambient hip hop instrumentals by FROM, written and recorded in the mid 90s under Trevor Jackson's infamous production persona The Underdog. Originally planned as a vocally-led, song-based project that should've surfaced between his production for The Brotherhood's legendary British hip hop album 'Elementalz' in 1996 and his acclaimed debut PLAYGROUP release in 2001, for multiple reasons it hasn't seen the light of day, until now.
Only Available as a ultra limited edition Vinyl and CD release, the LP consists of 11 tracks. Dream-like synth lines, ambient melodies, blissful guitars, raw beats and soft, fractured vocals draw you into a hallucinatory 12bit world. Drawing on Jackson's progressive and jazz rock influences as well as psychedelia and early electronics, the album closes with 'Belladonna'- a piano-sampled homage to the east coast golden age hip hop pioneers. NB: The CD features a longer version of 'Veratrum' not available on the vinyl version. All created on an Akai S950 mono sampler (limited to only 20 seconds sampling time), an Akai MG1212 12 channel mixer (which recorded on Betamax style tapes) and primitive outboard gear, Jackson honed his skills from his bedroom, where he produced the majority of his output at the time. With a huge collection of obscure vinyl, he dug deep into uncharted territories for samples and sound clips
- using material no one knew about (or would think about touching) in the mid 90s. The Underdog's initial releases were on Jackson's own Bite It! recordings label, which was started in 1991. A unique platform for UK hip hop with a visual aesthetic and ethos more akin to ECM and Factory
than other rap labels, its mission was to push artists beyond musical and cultural limitations prevalent at the time.
Home to artists like The Brotherhood, Scientists of Sound, Little Pauly Ryan and Lewis Parker (who later signed to Massive Attack's Melancholic label), Bite It! became a great success;
finally British rap had artists and releases that looked and sounded as good as their revered American counterparts. In 1993 Richard Russell (who had just started running XL recordings) asked Trevor to remix House of Pain, resulting in a top ten record, which helped launch Jackson's musical career via further remixes Massive Attack, Run DMC, U2, The Cure and countless others. Off the back of his remix success, The Brotherhood signed a deal in 1994 with Virgin Records. Their 'ELEMENTALZ' album was produced by Jackson and is still lauded by many as one of the finest British hip hop albums of all time.
Jackson continued to remix and produce as The Underdog until managerial issues forced him out of the project he'd been instrumental in instigating.
Soon after his close friend and manager tragically passed away - which when combined with the UK hip hop scene becoming increasingly volatile and the moral demise of rap culture in general - convinced Trevor to hang up his hip hop hat for good.
After leaving The Brotherhood he started Output Recordings. Internationally and sonically diverse, it gave Jackson a free reign to do as he pleased, with genre twisting releases from the likes of Fridge, Four Tet, Sonovac, Colder, his own PLAYGROUP project, The Rapture and LCD Soundsystem. With a non-compromising attitude, strong DIY aesthetic and consistently groundbreaking releases across its ten year life between 1996 and 2006, it became one of the most important and respected independent labels in the world.

For more than 30 years music has been the most important thing in my life - this is a clear and true to the heart statement by Soulsurfer, DJ and drummer for the Hanover-based outfit named SUPERSOUL. And yes, SUPERSOUL are a real band. A band in love with analogue instruments and mastering their craft. A rat pack of five groove fanatics accumulating enough years, wisdom and experience to tell truly authentic stories within their songs - songs which are taking the bands audience on a journey into the 60s and 70s sound of Black America. SUPERSOUL are playing Funk 'n' Soul on a hot, steamy, energetic and passionate tip, performing self-written songs with stories told in the bands mothertongue - German ! With Arne Busch as vocalist and band leader SUPERSOUL is built around a true force. His vision and expression of Soul is phrased like the emphasis of a preacherman's gospel whilst fat and funky grooves are masterly crafted and carefully layered by Margot Gontarski and drummer Lars Heindorf a.k.a. Soulsurfer, glazed with wah-wah-heavy licks played by guitar wizard Toni. Their experienced interplay on the latest SUPERSOUL album is polished with loads of analogue engineering magic at Studio Nord Bremen and perfectly complemented by solos and arrangements of Lutz 'Hammond' Krajenski and seven other guest musicians making and appearance on this longplay piece.
It's not big of a surprise that these musicians, all of them rich in experience due to their contributions to other bands and projects, met in Hanover, Germany's secret capital of Funk. But it is quite a surprise that it took that long for an album to appear on the record store circuit that amalgamates German lyrics and urban Funk in a previously unheard manner like SUPERSOUL does.
And for those who come across this longplay piece whilst being on their next dig we go along the lines of the words by the famous man Miles Davis as - We suggest to you to play this record at the highest possible volume in order to appreciate the sound of SUPERSOUL .

Henrique Oliveira aka HNQO, is the man responsible for this exciting full album release on DOC Records.

HNQO

is one of the fastest rising young stars in the techno, house and indie dance scene in Brazil.
Causing much attention and hype with his recent EP release on DOC Records (Balinese Death - also featured in MAGNUM VOL 1) and having reach the

#1 spot at Hot Creations Top selling single, it is time to introduce his first album "The Old Door", (influenced by Marlin Stimming and Anders Trentemøller, two of his heroes).
A weird string sound marks the opening of "The OId Door".

By mixing old sounds with new ideas, while recording different instruments, the track shows HNQO's life and it features Urzula Amen in the vocals.

"The Death of the Elephant' is a soundtrack to remind us how destructive human kind has been to the nature. Using sounds of Pizzicato Violin, "40s Cartoon' continues to take us to a journey through the artist's imagination.


The album is filled with the Henrique life moments during the year it took to produce the album.

For an example in "Egyptian Lover" HNQO describes how nice it would have been to have a lover flying overnight.

On this track Russian singer Cotry interprets the lyrics.

"Fallen Angel" is a dramatic piece telling a story still about flying.

"If" is another collaboration with the amazing Urzula Amen.


As we get closer to the end, when its finally time, 'Light a Cigarette' reaches a melancholic state where all melodies were recorded with eyes shut and in complete darkness.

A spiritual moment that became Henrique's favourite track of this project.

The scratch of a match, the flame and then a foggy synth that releases all the feelings in sound waves.
The album cover was inspired on a door.

A door that HNQO was able to enter by playing certain keys on his synths, percussions and strings that allowed him to reach a organic level while making it all a bit more human in terms of groove construction.
A poem from Rai Knight was perfect fit to give the density for the digital bonus track.
To get a better feel of what this album has to say, HNQO invites you to open 'The Old Door"

Southern Italian sociologist, DJ and electronic music producer Simone Gatto is about to release his second album, 'Heaven Inside Your Frequencies', in November 2017.

Gatto's second album represents a complete excursus of his personal and professional paths, into which he combines music, words, studies, researches and experiments. Along with the album, split in two parts and to be released on both his labels Out-ER and Pregnant Void, the artist is also releasing his first essay, named as the album; the latter offers a theoretical and practical analysis on the use of sounds and frequencies in diverse areas of interest, dedicating space to music therapy and primordial techniques as well as their application in the current digital and virtual era.

Both the album and the essay result from Gatto's personal experiences as well as his ten-year's artistic career: the love of his motherland and his parents, the first approach to clubs, the studies about the potentiality of frequencies, the electroacoustic experimentation and last but not least, the aesthetic sonorous research.

The the first part of the album showcases Gatto's experimental inclination for electronic and electroacoustic music; as such, the upcoming on his label Pregnant Void, has been created to enhance the sounds of the environment and personal panoramas by agglomerating artists, projects and publications. The second part definitely focusses on Gatto's dance personality and club vision, even so, it stays strongly connected to its first part as complementary for the artist's objective.

Ranging in between his favourite club niches, and collaborating with producers with whom he has shared embryonic projects, DJ booths or vinyl releases, Gatto prepares the audience for a complete journey into his idea of club music and grooves, featuring wide aesthetics and emotional resonance. It goes from the gentle tidiness of ambient and deep techno - 'No Te Olvides De Acordarte', 'Today Will Be Tomorrow ft. Kaelan', 'When I Was With You' and 'Limbo' to the intrinsic vitality of break beat, dub and funk tracks 'Caronte' and 'Holographic Drama' continuing with the dynamism of a typical Detroit techno brand of sound reinterpreted in a modern context, like in 'Forbidden Area' and 'Amazonia ft. Aubrey', and finishing with the joyful wildness of distorted sounds, in 'Jamming On The Couch ft. The Analogue Cops, OL047' in collaboration with long-time friends OL047 and The Analogue Cops; the last track, 'Il Canto Dell'Anima', is a partial excursion into the electroacoustic sound, articulated by ethereal soundscapes and piano arpeggios. The whole work is enriched by samples, field recordings and filtered vocals, sound elements which have been deeply explored in the first part of the album, confirming Gatto's aesthetical aptitude as for the club's universe as for the aesthetic sonorous research dimension.

'Heaven Inside Your Frequencies', recorded and produced between his motherland and other significant spaces and cities - the Ionian coast and natural parks of Lecce, his second home Berlin, the Whitney Museum in New York City and other significant places - 'Heaven Inside Your Frequencies' combines Gatto's theoretical background with personal and artistic maturity, achieved in the last decade. Simone Gatto's life, culture and emotions translate into a sonorous and written project, among sounds, frequencies and attempts to achieve empathetic communication with people. Specifically, the second part of the album in meant to increase the sensibility about potential interaction between performer and audience as for club contexts. The album listening and the essay reading are therefore complementary and equally functional to the achievement of the artist's goal: the empathetic communication through sounds.

he Copenhagen based pop wonders Blaue Blume return with a new EP - 'Sobs'. The band formed around 6 years ago in a provincial Danish town, drawn to each other's love for rich, playful music. Blaue Blume (blue flower) is the epitome of a romantic band, their songs are brimming with love and yearning. Now 'Sobs', the follow up to their 'Syzygy' album in 2015, continues to build their reputation as a best kept secret, about to find a whole new audience of devotees. All four tracks for the EP were recorded in late 2016 in a three story villa, formerly owned by a religious cult. The band used the weird space away from the city to create a framework for the lyrics and the music. The band explains: 'Blaue Blume has been our band for about 6 years. In a bigger provincial town we started playing right out of highschool. At the moment we live in Copenhagen and every day we play, write and work on sounds. It's sort of become a life project. In our heads we make music that is playful, rich in detail and popish or somewhat smiling. For some beautifully inexplicable reason we ended up doing music together. In a way it seems sacred or at least meaningful. Macabre is a happy song about being afraid of dying. Some of us find that even the best life can be lonely sometimes. We found it interesting to address this taboo within the frame of a song that people could potentially dance or sing along to.

Legendary James Brown's protégée Martha High teams up with mighty Japanese Osaka Monaural to pay homage to "JB's Funky Divas" in her new album "Tribute to My Soul Sisters".

Original Funky Diva Martha High has been an integral part of James Brown's life and career for more than 30 years. She was his backing vocalist, hair stylist, payroll master and his always loyal and reliable confidant.

The idea for this project was hatched back in 2014, when Martha was visiting producer DJ Pari, head honcho of the Soulpower organization and manager of soul legends like The Impressions, Lyn Collins and Marva Whitney. While reminiscing about tours with her fellow James Brown veterans, Martha felt that a tribute to the great soul sisters of the JB Revue, better known as "James Brown's Original Funky Divas," was very much needed.

"I looked up to these ladies of soul," says Martha, "Given the opportunity and the pleasure to perform their songs, is my way of saying: thank you, you're not forgotten. To record the music of the Funky Divas, would mean a lot to Mr. Brown. He always wanted the world to know he had powerful women on stage that could hold his crowd while he was off the stage. They were just as powerful and funky as he was."

Without further ado, following DJ Pari's advice, Martha partnered up in Tokyo with one of the hottest names of the new funk renaissance: Japan's Osaka Monaurail. Deeply influenced by the work of James Brown, Bobby Byrd, Curtis Mayfield and with nine albums under their belt, Osaka Monaurail have been leading the international funk scene for more than two decades, appearing at festivals such as Montreal Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival and Womad's, as well as recording and touring with funk legends like Marva Whitney and Fred Wesley.

This unique collaboration gives new life to 13 soulful pearls, masterfully interpreted as only an Original Funky Diva can do. To name a few: "Think (About It)", made famous by the female preacher Lyn Collins, "Mama's Got a Bag of Her Own", Anna King's answer to Brown's "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," "This Is My Story", of which Martha recorded the original version with The Jewels, and the soul classic "Answer to Mother Popcorn" by Vicki Anderson.

Born in Victoria, Virginia, and discovered by rock 'n roll pioneer Bo Diddley, Martha started her career with the soulful, legendary doo-wop group The Four Jewels, with whom she scored the national hit "Opportunity" in 1964. Soon, The Jewels caught the attention of James Brown and joined the James Brown Revue in 1966. The Godfather of Soul recorded and released several songs featuring The Jewels until the group disbanded. Nevertheless, Martha stayed with James Brown and continued to work with him as his personal vocalist for 32 years. She was with him at the Boston Garden during the iconic 1968 gig after Martin Luther King's assassination. She was by his side when he performed at renowned "Rumble in The Jungle" event in Zaire. Mr. Brown produced several of Martha's singles on his own People label such as "Georgy Girl", "Try Me" and "Summertime." Meanwhile Martha launched her solo career in 1979 with the self-titled debut LP for Salsoul Records. Since, she has released five albums under her name and, being one of the "hardest working women in show business", she became one of the leading singers of saxophonist Maceo Parker's legendary funky music machine, working with him for 16 years.

Throughout her career Martha has shared stages worldwide with iconic artists like Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Michael Jackson and George Clinton. Martha has been carrying the torch of soul music for her whole life, like a true soul sister. Now, with this new effort, she is keeping the music of the Funky Divas going, and we are sure that the Godfather of Soul and her faithful audience would appreciate it.

Detroit producer Norm Talley shares his debut album, Norm-A-Lise' on FXHE Records. Having started his career when disco was king, Talley's real life influences over his 25+ year career have included the originations of house through various iterations. His reference points as one of the original members of the West 6 Mile Detroit crew and his dedication to his Analog only studio position him as one of the more dynamic Detroit artists who's finally taking the time to release a complete project for his long awaiting fans.

The album features 14 original tracks with influences of disco, house, and beyond taking his signature infectious style deeper. On top of all of that, the album includes a track written by FXHE label boss Omar S aka Alex Smith featuring L 'Renee.

REPRESSED !
1970's "Osmium" was Parliament's debut album and possibly the first real indicator of where George Clinton and his notorious band of psychedelic funksters might be headed. The ground zero of P-Funk if you will. Existing since the late 50's as a doo-wop group it was the bands later offerings that sculpted their unique, mildly warped idea of what the FUNK should sound like. Initially they cut a couple of 45's for Detroit Soul label Invictus in 1970 (both of which appear on the LP) then embarked on recording more music for the project, their first full length offering on the label. The group also released the debut Funkadelic LP in the same year with both albums feature the same personnel. The conditions under which "Osmium" was realised have since passed off into mythical status with colourful anecdotes involving marathon LSD consuming sessions in isolation in their Toronto studio and a general air of hallucinatory, intense mental psychosis prevailing throughout. It's under this druggy haze that Parliament honed their own sound, a raucous, blown out, tripping stew of R&B, Blues, Soul and Funk replete with early P-Funk trappings.
"Osmium" is a fascinating ride, wild, rampaging heaviness of the most soulful kind. A glimpse into what was to come from one of the most enduring and colourful groups of the last 5 decades. Often a very difficult LP to track down it has always been sought after and extremely expensive to buy. Appealing to fans of Black music, Rock and psychedelia equally it's contents have shocked, entertained and grooved open minded music lovers since it's release over 40 years ago.
This is the first time the record has been reissued in over a decade, complete with original artwork. Remastered, reissued and fully licensed with the full permission and involvement of Invictus Records, Detroit.

The second EP of Samuel Rohrer's Range of Regularity album presents two more striking reinterprations. These new remixes provide an intriguing parallax view of the original tracks, using the percussive eclecticism of the parent LP as a starting point from which to journey into sonically vibrant, feature-rich territories. The production specialists on hand for this project include Burnt Friedman and Ricardo Villalobos. Villalobos, has already formed a strong working relationship with Rohrer's AMBIQ trio, lends his talents to both of the EPs. (RoR REMIXES I - AMEL-EP716). Nonplace label boss Friedman, as well, has carved out a unique space for himself within the electronic world, logging several decades' worth of releases that with dub-wise production sensibility, skewed humor, and riots of tone color. Though each individual remix has its own character, they are all united in their ability to provide a quick cure for fatigue with the common 'loop': though not improvised, they are strung together from fleeting phrases that evolve as if they are taking on a life independent of their creators.
Burnt Friedman's own dramatic interpretation of 'Microcosmoism' pairs up his consciousness of deep bass and analog inventiveness with Rohrer's continually transforming sound objects, making for a flowing and wordless narrative that simply dares listeners to stop paying attention. Feeling more like a collaboration in 'real time' than a remix proper, Friedman brings his characteristic 'mad scientist' wit to the proceedings and delivers an energetic piece that simply glows in the dark.
This is complemented nicely by Villalobos' remix of 'Microcosmoism'. It carries the energy level of the 1st EP over to a new disk, while heavily experimenting with feelings of emotional ambiguity. At some points aggressive and at other points merely curious, this mischievous collage of attitudes feels as inspired by the questing jazz of Sun Ra as it is by continental techno. Contemplative keyboard runs, enthusiastic spring-like percussion and malfunctioning machine chatter all coalesce to make this a most fascinating piece of multi-purpose electronic music.

(en) Constantly on the move, never standing still. Always looking ahead and never back. Everything sooner rather than later. This is what our modern lifestyles feel like, keeping us prisoners in the wake of time while everything around us is in a permanent state of change. It seems as though Andrei Anto- nets, aka OID, could sing a song, or at least produce a track about it. But rather than the soundtrack to our hurriedness, the Russian musician has seemingly created the opposite with his new track - Perma- nent Departure'. He achieves this by letting various sounds meander alongside a bass drum for about eleven minutes. Guitars, pads, Hi-Hats, everything comes and goes, arranged with tremendous flair. Antonets has already proven his capability to do exactly this with his project Alexandroid or with his work on labels like Pampa and Sealt Records.
The French Band dOP's remix on the B-side is much shorter but sends us on the same trip as the ori- ginal. Shortened to just eight minutes with a slightly new route, the dOP remix takes us directly to the club and peak time for the advanced. If we have to have a departure, then this is the way.
Also available as a digital mini album together with the MMR 28 and four other tracks by OID.
(de) Stets auf Achse, immer unterwegs. Den Blick geradeaus, nie zuru¨ck. Und alles lieber heute als morgen. So fu¨hlt es sich an, das moderne Leben, das uns gefangen im Sog der Zeit und alles um uns herum im permanenten Aufbruch ha¨lt. Es scheint so, als ko¨nnte Andrei Antonets alias OID ein Lied davon singen - oder zumindest einen Track dazu produzieren. Doch statt den Soundtrack zur Hast, erschafft der Russe mit - Permanent Departure' lieber einen kontemplativen Gegenentwurf dazu. Knapp elf Minuten lang la¨sst er dafu¨r weitla¨ufige Sounds entlang der Bassdrum ma¨andern. Gitarren, Pads, Hi-Hats, alles kommt und geht, arrangiert mit massig Gespu¨r statt purem Geto¨se. Dass Antonets genau das kann, hat er bereits zuvor mit seinem Projekt Alexandroid oder auf Labels wie Pampa und Sealt Records bewiesen.
Fu¨r die Ru¨ckseite lo¨sen die drei Franzosen von dOP mit ihrem Remix von - Permanent Departure' hin- gegen nur ein Kurzstrecken-Ticket - das uns aber genauso auf einen Trip wie das Original schickt. Auf acht Minuten und eine neue Route verku¨rzt, steuert der dOP-Remix ohne große Umwege geradeaus gen Club und die Peaktime fu¨r Fortgeschrittene. Wenn schon Abfahrt, dann bitte so. Auch als digitales Mini-Album zusammen mit der MMR 28 und vier weiteren Tracks von OID erha¨ltlich.

The Trickfinger project was recorded 10 years ago with no intention of being released at the time, made purely for discovery and learning experience. 'In my opinion, making music with no intention of releasing it is the best thing a musician can do for his own development in this day and age. The Trickfinger LP was made in that mindset, and it was the beginning of a new musical life for me. When I hear it, it sounds like I am opening up doorways to new worlds, and I never have had that feeling listening to music I made for the purpose of releasing it and selling it.

children are laughing and playing in the back, a baby screams happily: handsome field recordings welcome the listener to the final chapter of fred p's fp-oner trilogy for mule musiq.
the opening tune is called smiles, so children's laughter fit the mode. the idea is that smiles and cries are natural for children and as they grow to adulthood the reality becomes more, therefore the duality of life itself is obvious in the mood of the song.
the new york city native that is working on his very own music for almost 20 years explains about the beginning of his new album that features eleven tunes for deep meditative club use and beyond.
it brings the listener house music full of cosmic realities, odd jazzing moments, japanese spoken word pop, synth spheres for ambient use and an overall outer-national atmosphere, that handsomely dances between roughness and subtle tuned in deepness.
i chose to base this project on numbers in order to impart a bit of depth and substance. 5, 6 and 7 have a meaning in both the literal and esoteric sense. we as a species are a combination of matter and energy, so it is a matter of relating the two in harmony.
my experience as an artist expresses this. it's like a testimony to the human condition and how we relate to treat and mistreat one another. this view is the base of a philosophy that is close to me, be-cause art imitates life.
so rather than doing a project that highlights ego posture, my intent is more about what can i give to the listener. as a human being, as an artist, what can i share it's a part of a philosophical tug of war that goes a lot deeper than the expectation of what one might think a dance album or rather an elec-tronic music album should be.
it's food for thought, not candy and a soft drink, but real substance that stays with you.he reveals about the profundity of his trilogy. at large it is a journey inward, compelling, mesmerising and en-chanting.
for the final chapter fred p mostly produced in his studio in berlin on various synths and with a bunch of mysterious samples, all later organized and programmed in ableton. this project has a beginning mid-dle and end. the record 5 was intended to introduce a meditative energy within a rhythmic construct as the number 5 represents the dynamic and unpredictable.
the whole album carries the energy of that ilk. the album 6 is of an earthly and more harmonious dis-cord. i attempt to bring the inner conflict in the form of natural unnaturalness. the raw energy of the search in this project i think is self explanatory, which is the point i believe to show how flawed one can be but express very specific themes honestly.
finally, with 7 my goal is to merge the two into balance, as one focused state of mind as 7 is the thinker beyond understanding or beyond the illusion. this is my hope people take away from this: a feeling of growth, optimism and positive energy. we are dealing with vibrations every person resonates with, so the idea is where do you want to take that
what do you want to do with that as an artist you can do some good or some harm. for me i choose to give the best that i can and i hope that the people that participate get a sense of that.' true words by a kind and gentle soul that loves to speak in music.
they explain much and then leave things in the dark too, as he basically says: let the music play. so listen deeply, open your doors of perception, dance the atomic mess around, stay small, be true and don't forget: fp oner's music is a traveling zone with a universal meaning. it can mean many things to different people. but thus is the purpose of art.

Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player.

The Scene: The Welsh mountains, remote and harsh, a special place. A good place to produce a special album. The characters: Volker Bertelmann in his friend Adam Fuests' studio, equipped with only a piano and a laptop. The Project: To record a album of piano music. Title: Hauschka.

Piano music is highly personal music, which is the reason why piano solo albums occupy a particular place of importance in a musician's work - not that Volker Bertelmann wants to hype his first foray to that extent, hence the pseudonym. Nevertheless Hauschka is personal music, simply because it has accompanied him for so long, because it has always been there in some shape or form, because it has always been important. The title points to the fact that it is dealing with something of import, not just a few finger exercises or background ivory-tinkling.

Substantial' is a snapshot of a life spent with the black and white keys, and is simultaneously both moment and history, thought and feeling, yet without turning into a unduly meaningful concept album. Rather, Substantial' is based upon the least conceptual of all concepts: Improvisation. Each track is based upon an opening sequence, the theme of which is extended, modulated and varied with, as far as form or length is concerned, no specific objective in mind. What has come out is music of a differing, well, substance: Eleven atmospheric pieces in which a variety of different techniques overlap and rhythmical images with narrative depth unfold, in which further instruments, such as double bass or vibraphone make a fleeting appearance, at once lending a hint of pop, but at no time detracting from the piano as central instrument, in which experimental and electronic music is accessed without compromising the directness and ease of the improvisational approach.

The confluence of Bertelmann's multiple musical personality can be apprehended here: Whilst the pop-oriented musician plays the melody, the electronic producer gently experiments with sounds, leaving the pianist quite literally to manipulate the piano, - plucking the strings with a plectrum, dampening them or bowing them lengthways to achieve a variety of percussive effects. Following the recording, the tracks were adapted, supplemented and finalized. Using multi-tracking, up to four piano tracks were superimposed, electronic sounds from the laptop added, as well Stefan Schneider's bass (Mapstation, To Rococo Rot, Music A.M.) on three tracks.

avorite Recordings proudly presents Natureza, first album of Joao Selva. The story of Natureza is made of the meeting between two passionate artists who are Jonathan "Matuto" Da Silva and Bruno "Patchworks" Hovart.Born and raised in Ipanema and son of a pastor, Jonathan Da Silva grew up in a community of ex-prisoners and converted artists. He made his first guitar notes before his 10th birthday, under the watchful eye of Wanda Sa (muse of the bossa nova), and influenced by a father who in addition to his work, was also a true music lover with a collection, where black music, rock and classical meet. From the age of 18, Jonathan began a life of entertainer, traveling the world to offer shows for disadvantaged children and intensively practicing the Brazilian traditional music arts (Capoeira Angola, Maracatu, Samba de Roda, Coco de Roda...). It was later in France and in Lyon that he put down his instruments. There he formed the trio Forro de Rebeca in 2008, touring the all country and winning many praise in media. The trio recently joined forces with American producer Maga Bo on the project Sociedade Recreativa, whose album was released in 2016 on The Jarring Effects label.Bruno Hovart is a recognized producer, multi-instrumentalist, and remixer. After passing through Angers, Birmingham and London, he's based in Lyon since 2001. Bassist and guitarist for various bands, he switched to production in the mid-90s. Passionate about music and tireless creator, Bruno has practiced in almost every imaginable style, when it comes to groove music, collecting many aliases and projects for more than 10 years: Patchworks, Voilaaa, Uptown Funk Empire, Mr President, Taggy Matcher, Mr. Day, Hawa, John Milk, Lightnin 3, The Dynamics or Metropolitan Jazz Affair ... Nothing resists and escapes his talent and production skills. Thus, when he discovered and met Jonathan and his music, Bruno saw an immediate opportunity to broaden the spectrum of his discography a little more, by looking at Brazil. Beyond its traditional heritage, Brazil has always been a land of extremely varied music, influenced by the international scene. Soul, Jazz and American Pop did inspire many local stars such as Chico Buarque, Carlos Jobim, Gilberto Gil, Tom Zé, or Erasmo Carlos. Both fervent lovers of this movement and these names, it's with the idea to pay them a faithful tribute, that Jonathan and Bruno began the Joao Selva adventure. Together they gave birth to Natureza and embark us for a trip into the heart of the Tropicalist Pop influences of Jorge Ben and Caetano Veloso, the intoxicating Funk of Tim Maia, and the social poetry of Vinicius de Moraes.

Profusion (noun): an abundance of something rich.

The sonic partnership of K15 and Emeson originated in the days of MySpace. A future of combining their skills was inevitable, and now in 2017, it's time to unleash their debut studio album into the ether.

The solo-projects of Tottenham-raised Kieron Ifill (aka K15) date back a decade, but were truly kick-started on labels such as Kyle Hall's Wild Oats and WotNot Music, with a number of genre-crossing releases dropping ever since, including the WU15 project (along with Yussef Kamaal's Henry Wu, on Eglo Records). Additionally to his production work, he has established himself internationally as a DJ, from the Jazz Cafe to the CoOp parties.

Partner in Profusion, Emeson, has many skills to his bow - singing, songwriting, producing, promoting, DJing (under the alias Ed Nice) and acting. As a musician, his varied skill-set has seen him work with Chico Hamilton, Carla Duke, Karmasound, Uzo Madu and Chris Jerome. A frontman for soul-jazz groups LifeSize, The One and Saturn's Children, he has featured on releases for BBE and Tokyo Dawn, and appeared live on stage at the likes of Ronnie Scott's.

The debut single was supported by tastemaker blogs Wonderland, XLR8R and Stamp The Wax, has been bumped by selectors such as Lefto and Jazzie B, and played on NTS, Worldwide FM, Mi-Soul, LeMellotron, Balamii Radio, Itch FM, Invader FM, Soho Radio and various stations across Europe and the US.

This album is full to the brim with summery sun-soaked synths, drifting across the warmest of basslines and heavyweight beats. Emeson's rich vocals gracefully ride atop of K15's delectably bruk twist on neo-soul sonics and electronics, this is some seriously classy contemporary London soul music, that manages to incorporate flashes of various dance music techniques, sound-system etiquette and jazz-tinged rhythms. As future-thinking as it is subtly retrospective, it doesn't lend itself to one genre, it intentionally embodies the best of many. An array of everything that is great about British black music in 2017. The message the album conveys itself couldn't have come at a more poignant time. Where do we begin

Profusion - an abundance of something rich indeed.

Since the millennium 2raumwohnung unites electronic sounds and pop melodies in a variety of ways. The early singles 'Wir trafen uns in einem Garten' (2000) or '2 von Millionen Sternen' (2001) playfully communicated the life-style of a new Berlin. The duo, consisting of Inga Humpe and Tommi Eckart, started as a studio project and continued to develop via eight album productions. At the same time, an important impulse included developments in techno or house music. Their most successful album '36 Grad' stayed in the German album-charts for 33 weeks; 2raumwohnung continued to expand their stage range as well.

ll Camille, LA hip hop's female perspective.

Ill Camille has been a vital member of the LA music scene for some years. Kendrick Lamar used her vocals prominently for the 'good kid, m.A.A.d city' track 'Sing about me', she has been working with other TDE artists occasionally and spend a lot of time writing for different projects Terrance Martin was involved with.

At the same time Camille was developing her own material with her fellow peers such as MNDSGN, Iman Omari, DJ Battlecat, Like (Pac Div) Georgia Anne Muldrow & SIR who are all featured on her album 'Heirloom' just like TDE co-president Punch. 'Heirloom' productions range from smooth, g-funk esque west coast beats to live & organic soulful beats, working as the perfect backdrop for Camille's powerful, intelligent and thought thru lyrics

The album is deeply personal revolving around the issues that mater in her life from friends and family, her role as a woman and the heirloom of her and her surrounding: 'I feel like everyone are heirlooms of our mothers and fathers. An heirloom is just something that's passed down through a family. We get heirlooms in the form of game, encouragement or wise words. I know everyone has an aunt or uncle that's given them some bars about life in general. I have a village around me that have given me heirlooms in the form of conversations'.

t's the utmost honor for Sonar Kollektiv to be in the position to introduce 'Ankhor', the brand new album by Liz Aku. Having recorded all sorts of music with different outfits as well as solo projects over the last fifteen years the Belgian soul singer and highly gifted songwriter definitely earned her stripes and is anything but a newcomer to this game. She seems to have found her own, distinctive voice, after traveling to New Zealand and a far-reaching encounter with Mara TK from Electric Wire Hustle. With 'Ankhor' (a combination of the Egyptian symbol for eternal life 'Ankh' and 'anchor') Aku accomplished a masterpiece of Nu Soul, Jazz and Pop, which will make her join the upper league of the players on the scene. For this cause, several allies and efriended producers have helped her out. With Mara TK leading the way obviously, who co-produced three out of the album's twelve songs. On 'Breathing Underwater' and the sublime, for the whole album groove defining opening song 'The Drum Major Instinct' the native New Zealander duets with Aku

In this space between chaos and conformity disorderly moments welcome new phases into existence, leading to the awakening of an elevated version of the self. Between highs and lows, Transitions of Life remain; the concept behind Synthek's first solo full length sound narrative on his Natch Records imprint. Unfolding across a vexing two-year transformation phase, Synthek's crossings along rough roads are the tribulations to reveal this intimate personal journey of reve- lation through emotional downshift, spiritual upheaval and cerebral quandary. In this dominion, Synthek shapes the eleven track escapade along a sophisticated array of synths and warm analog drums, while contrasting the build and decline of atmosphere through deep bass soundscapes.
Pivotal turning points execute the programming of the album's three part sound design; beginning from darkness and repression, evolving to a more colourful aerial majesty of lucid dream state, morphing into the developed nature of life lessons learned; Transitions of Life making its incarnation into the discovery of the self and re-entry into reality.

*Transitions of Life is a 2x12' release made available through Natch Elements, intro- spective extension to the Natch Records imprint. Visual embodiment of the project artfully presented with photographic time capsule by Salar Kheradpejouh of Berlin, Germany with graphic work curated by Jacopo Saveritano, co-founder of Natch Records.

Acclaimed Russian producer, DJ and live musician Kito Jempere is back with a stunning second album, this time on Italian label Hell Yeah. Entitled Sea Monster and due for release in early 2017, the nine track album is a fantastic fusion of live instrumentation and electronic production.

Kito Jempere is a musical polymath. The Russian artist, producer, multi-instrumentalist and band leader has been involved in many projects over the last ten years plus. These range from rock to acid jazz to electronic bands and often call upon a rotating cast of other members who are all equally talented.

From playing in small bars to headlining big shows for thousands of people in Saint Petersburg, he has put out a number of albums and singles on labels like Freerange, Room With A View and Hell Yeah and DJs around Europe.

Jempere plays live as the Kito Jempere Band, and here he calls upon his bandmates for their many skills to lend the album a richly musical feel.

Mixed and co-produced by band member Roman Urazov, the album features Artemiy Gunbin aka Noteless, the voice of the Kito Jempere Band and front man of his own rock band Videatape, as well as Ruslan Gadzhimuradov, a long time drummer on many projects, plus Matvey Averin, the bassist but also co-producer for cult group Manizha and finally Sergey Lipsky who here plays guitar and is also half of Simple Symmetry as well as having played for Kito's other project Saint Petersburg Disco Spin Club group.

Sea Monster kicks off with Lifetime Theme, a heavenly groove with loose drums and percussion and gorgeous keys. Form there, Artemiy Gunbin's ethereal and crystal clear vocals take centre stage amongst balearic guitars on album single 'Ampa', and then 'To Talk' is a deeper cut with bumpy drums, long tailed pads and shiny synths all making for a curious and whimsical atmosphere.

'Grid Cells' is a lush instrumental track with clever revel and echo adding a sense of grandeur to the freeform jazz drums and frazzled synths, 'Uohha' is as sunny and laid back as an afternoon on the beach and 'Puzzled' then layers up scuzzy basslines, popping hits and suspenseful synths into something smooth and seductive.

The final third of the album closes out with blissful guitar licks, lazy broken beats and brilliant drum playing that all have you wishing it was summer again.

This is an album with elements of jazz, house, disco, balearic and many more sounds all smoothly blended into one coherent and captivating album full of soul and musical skill.

'This is a journey into sound...,' These familiar words, accompanied by the rumble of a distant train, signal the opening of 'Let's Take A Trip', the sophomore album from Terrel Wallace aka Tall Black Guy. Since 2013's '8 Miles To Moenart' TBG has cemented his position as a standard bearer for the current hip-hop / beats scene. Born in Detroit and now residing in the UK, Wallace's signature style of incredibly clever sample flips and deft production chops has won fans across the globe including Gilles Peterson, Lefto, Jazzy Jeff and House Shoes.

Since his debut release in 2011 (a daring and addictive flip of Fela Kuti), TBG has become revered for his unique take on soulful hip-hop production. The swing of the drums, the textures of the instrumentation as well as a fearlessness in taking on the classics (his Soundcloud page includes flips and chops of tracks from James Brown, De La Soul and Michael Jackson) have marked him out from the crowd. One of the best-kept secrets in the scene, his singular talent is now beginning to get the recognition it deserves. In the last 12 months he has remixed Little Dragon and been invited to take part in Jazzy Jeff's Playlist Retreat alongside the likes of Eric Lau, James Poyser, Ali Shaheed Muhammed, Questlove and countless others.

For this album Wallace had a simple inspiration: 'This album is all about taking a journey. As simple as that. Be it physical, emotional or spiritual. It's asking and answering personal questions from myself within some of the tracks and also touching on social issues i.e. racism, inequality and privilege...that have been at the forefront of my mind over last three years.' Sonically there is also a shift: 'Jazz has definitely been more of an influence in this project, as I have been really inspired by so many up and coming musicians who I've been blessed to connect with'. Some of these musicians, including Kenny Keys, Miles Bonny, Diggs Duke and Dee Jackson feature on the project as well as regular collaborators Ozay Moore and Mario Sweet and fellow Playlist alumni Daniel Crawford and Masego. But this is one man's vision, and for Tall Black Guy this trip is just the beginning...,.

New Order Presents Be Music is a compilation of productions by members of iconic Manchester group New Order, including classic dance and electro tracks released on Factory Records between 1982 and 1985, as well as more recent remixes for current artists such as Factory Floor, Marnie, Tim Burgess and Fujiya & Miyagi.
The generic tag Be Music was first used in 1981 and covered studio production work by all four members of New Order: Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert. Sumner often teamed with Donald 'Dojo' Johnson of A Certain Ratio, including the pioneering electro cuts featured here by Quando Quango, 52nd Street, Marcel King, Paul Haig and Surprize. Morris and Gilbert worked with Thick Pigeon, Life, Red Turns To and also 52nd Street. Although more rock orientated, Hook proved he was no slouch on the dancefloor either with the mighty Fate/Hate by Nyam Nyam.
'Producing was a really important sideline,' recalls Bernard Sumner of the Factory era. 'It's OK doing it because although all the groups are skint, you learn a lot and you're helping somebody.'
After 1985 the band focused more on producing their own records, both as New Order and solo projects such as Electronic, Revenge, The Other Two, Monaco and Bad Lieutenant. However in recent years Stephen Morris in particular has remixed several newer artists, notably London industrialists Factory Floor, as well as former Factory workers A Certain Ratio and Section 25.
Bonus tracks on the 3xCD box set include Knew Noise by Section 25, produced by Ian Curtis and Rob Gretton of Joy Division way back in 1979, and the complete 22 minute version of Video 586, recorded by New Order themselves in 1982.
 All tracks (12 on vinyl, 36 on the CD) are newly remastered. The liner notes feature commentary on the tracks by the artists and the members of New Order. Design and packaging are by Matt Robertson/Peter Saville Studio.

EMERGENCE is an epic, operatic, ambitious amalgamation between audio-visual show, scientific research project, art installation and IDM record, the debut release on Max Cooper's Mesh label and his second full-length release.2 LPs housed in a gatefold sleeve, featuring black and gold ink printed onto silver laminated board to create a unique and beautiful effect.The record was conceived as a soundtrack to a new series of 11 pieces of video art, each exploring a different facet of the concept of 'emergence'. The full A/V live show will premiere at Mutek, Japan on November 2nd 2016. Together the work is a marriage between the cosmic awe of a Carl Sagan film and the musical wonderment of Sigur Ros, made for meditating on the mystery of our emotional connection to fundamental natural form.
Cooper collaborated with film composer Tom Hodge and vocalist Kathrin deBoer to put together a rich piece of music that incorporates post-rock, Warp-y brain-dance, hi-def digital techno and shimmering neo-classical. Few musicians are as qualified as Max to tackle as profound an idea as 'emergence' through electronic music. Emergence is the story of the development of the universe, the way in which, very complex things like human beings where created from the immaterial by the action of simple laws.Max has synthesised his skill as a producer and his deep interests in science to create a Hadron Collider-grade ambient techno world, in the lineage of The Future Sounds of London's 'Lifeforms' for 2016. It's also one of the most beautiful records you'll hear all year. Early support at radio pledged from Lauren Laverne and Mary Anne Hobbs.

Virginia-born singer/songwriter Nicole Wray has everything you'd want in a singer: an infectious Jackson-5-family-member flare, a range like Aretha's, and a church upbringing that's brought a pure, healing texture to her voice. But the struggle she's been through has made her more than a singer. Nicole Wray is an artist. When talking about Queen Alone, her first solo album in some time, Nicole explains, It's a reflection of my soul. It's who I am today.' And aptly so. Nicole is writing and singing songs about her life. And yet to even start to know her soul, you have to go back to the beginning. Growing up in Portsmouth was tough at times for Nicole. However, at the age of fifteen, life opened up quickly when Missy Elliot paid a visit to Nicole's family home to audition her on the spot. Missy was there on the rumored strength and quality of her voice. Instantly blowing her away, she signed and left with Missy that night. Two years later, at age 17, she had a hit gold single off a solid debut album (Make It Hot). Suddenly she was part of a team that included late '90s R&B and rap royalty: Missy, Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Playa, Timbaland and Magoo. She made it, and fast. However, as rapidly as she achieved success, Nicole then found herself needing to re-make it. By late 2001, her time with Missy and company had run its course. They amicably parted ways and Nicole, once on top of the R&B world, was unsure of what was next. It was a very low, but important, point in her life. While neck-deep in this struggle, Damon Dash and Roc-A-Fella Records called. They signed an album deal and by 2004, in what was starting to be a pattern, just as things were looking up Roc-A-Fella suddenly (famously) split. Nicole found herself in a familiar situation. In 2013, Nicole paired up with London vocalist Terri Walker and released the album Lady. Once again, Nicole was tested. Terri parted ways with the group to pursue her own projects shortly after the album's release. Fast forward to now-the transformation from singer-for-hire to pure artist is evident in this new full-length solo release, Queen Alone. The record was written and recorded in 10 days at the legendary Diamond Mine Studios, in Queens NY with Leon Michels and Tom Brenneck handling production. Nicole says she is Singing out loud now-singing from the stomach.' Back in 1998 she was coached how to sing, and told to stay in a pocket that never let her show her range, power, and passion. Today, after stutter-stepping in and out of the industry, there is a new soul and substance to her songs-all of it from her life. They Don't Hang Around", tells the story of her post Roc-a-Fella days, Guilty", is about her brother's incarceration, Make Me Over" tells the relatable story of being broke with expensive taste, and 'Let It Go', a perfect way to end the record, is about the simple act of letting go and moving on. Almost echoing her new record, Nicole says, You have to go through something for it to be real.' She has been living with one foot in fame and the other in real life. The result is clear: she's feeling something real in her music again. And it's hard for us as listeners not to follow suit.

Jam Money is the shared musical vision of Kevin Cormack and Mathew Fowler. Mathew (Bons) and Kevin (Half Cousin, Harry Deerness) first began collaborating as part of the Blank Tape Spillage Fete, an ongoing collective project of art and music which focuses on the creation and perpetuation of small DIY exhibitions, related events and limited releases that celebrates the hobbyist nature of home recording.

Jam Money revolves around a passion for the simple and sometimes restrictive nature of four-track cassette recording. Using old half-broken guitars, clarinets, charity shop keyboards, toys, family heirlooms, zithers, home-made percussion, and household objects a shared dialogue appears, involving both mark making and musical mishaps, allowing the makers to be carried along as the music finds its own way.

Genre definitions melt away in Jam Money's music as ambient dissolves into lo-fi rock, noise into fragile naive classroom melodies. Creativity beyond easy categorisation.The first recordings titled 'Blowing Stones' were self-released in 2014. The cover and insert artwork for this record featured abstract paintings by the artist Aimée Henderson whose work and process is a great influence on their music. Having played gigs alongside kindred spirits National Bedtime and Plinth, the tail end of 2015 saw the the band travel to Germany to play with the Notwist and Le Millipede for a series of 'Alien Disko' nights organised by Alien Transistor, a label with a shared kinship of both the weird and wonderful.

'A Gathering Kind' is the second album by Jam Money: a journey of sound and colour, subliminal images and narrative. The roots of this collection found Fowler and Cormack using an earthier, more instinctive language, making it a rougher-edged sibling to their other recordings, with parallels to the home-spun worlds of Flaming Tunes, Pumice, Maher Shalal Hash Baz and World Standard. Aimée's artwork features again, both paintings and music forming a collective language of dream-like adventure.

"Poignant and exploratory. Melting together acoustic and electronic elements, the narrative throughout is one of a ghostly world heading for winter. A firm fan favourite Stephen Pastel (The Pastels & Monorail Music) on Blowing Stones.

"Created in question and answer form, their songs exist like little sculptures - wayward and peaceful, sometimes whirring into automatic life under the pair's combined attention."

The second release on TB Arthur's (312) label finds the mysterious artist revealing a collaborative project with Magda as Blotter Trax. The pair first encountered each other at the famous Motor City record store Record Time, when Detroit artist BMG introduced his then co-workers Magda and Derek Plaslaiko to Arthur, who was visiting the shop from Chicago. Sometime after that meeting, Magda and Arthur went into the studio and jammed together for a week, the session was recorded live on analog 1/4" tape and then three tracks were selected for release. 1A is six and a half minutes of modulated synth sounds that are psyched out and sci-fi, spooky and truly atmospheric. Full of cerebral cinematism, acid lines and ghoulish textures all add up to a truly standout track. 2A then marries dark wave pops and clicks, unsettling alien lifeforms and menacing, slo motion industrial drums into a physical and imposing groover riddled with paranoid sirens and drones. Last of all, 2B snakes and slithers its way through undulating drums, cosmic freakiness and gloopy synth sounds that are all seductive and subversive in equal measure. This, then, is a truly fascinating pairing.

Repress

Peter Zummo (born 1948) is an American composer and musician. He plays the trombone, valve trombone, euphonium, synthesizer, other electronic instruments, and also sings. He is associated with the postminimalist and Downtown aesthetics, and he describes his music as "minimalism plus a whole lot more." He's well-known for his work with Arthur Russell.
"In this project for Optimo, the listener can hear that my musical food pyramid has musicians at top, or maybe they are at the bottom. In any case, they are important. That is why, from track to track, I selected
segments in which one player or another is featured in the take. Some may think that we musicians do multiple takes to get the perfect performance, but I like to find the special interactions lurking in each excursion. Different players came forward in each of the takes, which were recorded in the studios Seaside Lounge and Headroom, in Brooklyn, and live in performances at Cube Cinema, in Bristol, U.K., as well as in Long Island City and on Staten Island, New York.
In order to escape the tyranny of the lyric, I am exploring in this release the possibilities of nonsensical and non-emotional lyrics. These kinds of lyrics bring the singing voices into the mix without an overweening message. The tracks include open-form compositions in which the duration was not specified."

Matthew Dear's Audion project stands proudly at the intersection between art and hedonism, realised over a decade long dedication to powerful and relevant dance music. Growing out of the vibrant DIY Detroit underground, Audion and his contemporaries were free to feed off the energy reverberating from UK and European dancefloors, but singular in their desire to create their own sound and spirit. An Audion release is techno in it's purest sense - whether it's pushing the bombastic limits, spinning the dancefloor out of control or elegantly toying with just a few sonic elements. 'Alpha' is Audion's first artist album in 10 years and comes at the end of a period of fevered activity. The collective body of work standing as a marker in time and a defining moment in the life of the artist. Drowning out the noise of the outside world, 'Alpha' was a puzzle pieced together sonically in the shadows and wildly brought to life in a matter of weeks. The artwork for 'Alpha' has again been realised by Will Calcutt, Dear's long time collaborator, who has a visual plan for the music that matches the sonic vision, completing the final critical piece of the puzzle. Taken from the album, Gut Man Cometh and Destroyer get the remix treatment from UK producers Matthew Herbert and FOLD

Phil Collins revisits a career that can boast over 100 million sales and numerous worldwide #1 albums. Both Sides will be remastered by Nick Davis, who earned a Grammy nomination for Best Surround Sound album for his work on the Genesis '1970-1975' box set. Davis has also worked on all of the Genesis retrospective reissues.

Entirely curated and compiled by Collins himself, his idea for the 'Take A Look At Me Now' concept is to examine how his songs have evolved over time, with the majority of the additional content throughout the series focused on live versions of the tracks. By contrasting the original studio versions of the material with later performances, the series demonstrates how Collins' songs take on a life of their own once they're freed from the confines of the studio.

Collins returned to #1 in 2010 with 'Going Back' which represented his first studio album since 2002's 'Testify'. 'Going Back' was a personal labour of love project that found him faithfully recreating the soul gems that played such an influential role in his musical life.

The concept, he said at the time, 'Was not to bring anything 'new' to these already great records, but to try to recreate the sounds and feelings that I had when I first heard them.' That objective was achieved with the help of special guests including three surviving members of The Funk Brothers: Eddie Willis (guitar), Bob Babbitt (bass) and Ray Monette (guitar). 

'I decided to call this version of 'Going Back' 'The Essential Going Back',' he explains. 'In retrospect, I included too much music on the original version, and I believe that too much is not always a good thing. Hence this trimmed down selection of my favourite Motown songs.'

Three years on from the release of the critically acclaimed debut album, Undergrass, Mushrooms Project return to Leng with a two-track taster or their forthcoming follow-up full-length.
In the intervening years, Giorgio Giri and Marco Lentano have hardly been slacking, further exploring their unique blend of glistening Balearica, dubbed- out disco, Italian Afro-cosmic and psychedelic nu-disco via EPs for Horn Wax, Uber and Hell Yeah! Recordings. Their latest two-track missive is undoubtedly amongst the Italian duo's strongest work to date. The A-side boasts 'Dirty Bolas', an effortlessly summery groover destined to soundtrack sultry evenings and sun-baked afternoons. Its' rolling, percussive funk groove and undulating electric bassline keep the action moving, but it's the tumbling guitar solos, toasty
keys, humid electronics and atmospheric feld recordings that catch the ear. Flip the 12' for 'Sunset Ballad', a near ten-minute epic that more than lives up to its' name. Soft, delay-laden acoustic guitar passages and yearning electric piano fourishes set the tone, before the Parma-based production duo
gradually ups the pressure via a shuffing groove, whispering acid lines and quietly bubbling synthesizers. It's undeniably rich and life affrming, but best appreciated while lying fat on your back.
Dirty Bolas will be featured on the duo's second album, which is slated for release in the fnal quarter of 2016. For now, you'll have to make do with these two slices of seductive, sun-bright brilliance.

Standing at the intersection where techno meets classical music, Ólafur Arnalds directs the newest Late Night Tales, set for release on 24th June 2016.

After releasing the breakthrough album 'And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness', in 2014 he was awarded a BAFTA for best original music for the TV series Broadchurch. Arnalds' music has a quietude that seems perfectly apposite and that's evident here as each song drifts like an autumn wind towards the next.

Arnalds has enlisted the help of a few of his countrymen for the journey out west - electronic bands Samaris and Hjaltalín - and just as his records manage to combine the experimentalism and adventure of electronic music with a classical sensibility, here he weaves them perfectly, using tracks like Koreless' brilliant post-dubstep 'Last Remnants' alongside the enigmatic brilliance of Jai Paul. It's a perfect musical landscape that is eerie yet beautiful, as on Odesza's 'How Did I Get Here'.

As if Ólafur wasn't spoiling us enough, he offers up three exclusives: his own 'Kinesthesia I' and 'RGB' and 'Orgoned' by his techno side project Kiasmos. Alongside that we have the obligatory cover version (Destiny's Child's 'Say My Name') and also a Late Night Tales debut for David Tennant, reading a story by Anam Sufi, with whom Ólafur worked on Broadchurch.

When I was asked to do the next installation of the Late Night Tales series I thought "This will be fun and easy, only a couple of days work. No problem!". Six months later, I was still pulling my hair out in some kind of quest to make the perfect mix. As someone who has never really done mixes before, I learned a lot of things along the way and the whole experience was very inspiring. I decided to approach the mix in a similar way as I would one of my scores. This is the soundtrack of my life. I included songs from many of my friends and collaborators and tried to deliver a mix that represents who I am as an artist and where my influences are coming from - both personally and musically.'

Michigan's ambient and soundtrack specialist John Beltran introduces a new LP that will be co-released by Delsin and his digital only label Dado Records. Entitled Through the Blinds, it features ten tracks by Blair French (who also appeared on his Music For Machine compilation on Delsin last year) and will be released on January 18th 2016. Blair French aka Dial.81 is an experimental producer and visual artist who won an award for his score of Detropia--a documentary about his home city of Detroit--and now makes his ambient debut. As you would expect of such a project, it boasts suspensory and near spiritual pieces of ambient music with angelic chords and glassy textures. There are also more frosty cuts that sound like a chilly Autumn walk, tracks that feature emotive neo-classical piano pieces and suggestively rhythmic compositions that sooth your mind. The second half of the record touches on church like passages of synth heavy sounds, strikingly sad violins and lo-fi arrangements that sound, one hopes, a little like what you might hear as you pass from this life to the next.

Killer LP that mixes elements of zouk and tropical influences from the French West-Indies, with heavy disco and funk flavors. Tip!
Crystal was an 8 piece combo from the French West-Indies islands led by Franck Donatien. Gifted guitarist and composer, Franck Donatien had a few experience leading band projects such as Crystal, Lazer or Taxi Créole, and is mostly known and respected for his long and prolific career as a musicians for many artists from the local zouk music scene.

With Crystal, he released 2 albums between 1984 and 1985, both today very hard to find and famous for including some amazing tracks. If Funky Biguine, Crystal's second album, is mostly a 1 track LP with few other moments, Music Life is truly a brilliant album from first note to the last, including climax titles such as Music Life', or Santo Domingo'.

Favorite Recordings makes this forgotten treasure available again for all. Fully restored and remastered with great attention to sound quality, Music Life by Crystal is presented in a deluxe vinyl replica, and digital versions.

With their next carefully curated release, the Opilec Music label begins to shine a light on the roots of Italo with the reissue of an ultra rare and obscure synth Italo disco track by A. Avenue from 1984.

This is a special Record Store Day 2016 release and of course, Opilec Music has remastered the original vocal and instrumental versions and here include I-Robots reconstructions and two Flemming Dalum's reworks.

This is a track many labels wanted, but only Opilec Music have been granted official rights to this cult re-release. Originally released on Discover Records, this is the only EP

A. Avenue (aka Dario Ancona and F. Feleppa) ever put out and it now fetches high prices on Discogs. Once you hear the music, you can understand why: The lovably naive and innocent vocal version is seven minutes of cosmic and psychedelic grooves with perfectly retro melodies and pixelated chords that take you into outer space.

Mid tempo drums are full of funk and drive and the two part vocal—one crisp and clean, one filtered and dehumanised—really lend the whole thing a special robot feel that is second to none. As well as a stripped back instrumental, there is a fine I-Robots Reconstruction that is quicker and more driving.

The vocals are also more prominent, soaring up top above reflective synths and rainy xylophone style melodies. It is a real Italo disco gem that is followed by a spacious and tripped out version from Danish DJ and producer Flemming Dalum, who has been devoted to Italo all his life and works with labels like Mothball, Bordello A Parigi and Disco Modernism.

He also layers in more cowbells, punchy drums and claps that refresh it for a modern club, and buy the EP digitally and you will get a second Dalum edit that is the deepest of the lot - 100% true to the original.

This reissue will make many record collectors and Italo disco fans truly happy, and is just the start of some brilliant new projects to come.

For its premier release, Division Point Industries is proud to announce a 4-track EP by Rolling Ones, a collaborative project featuring Johannes Auvinen (Tin Man) and Jordan Poling (Jordan). Rolling Ones finds its voice in the synthesis of each artist's sound, combining Tin Man's acidic melodies with Jordan's deep, textural pads. Debuting at the Division Point Industries residency at Bushwick's notorious Bossa Nova Civic Club, Rolling Ones marked their arrival by playing a DJ back-to-back set. Opening the record is '93' Mustang', a muscular, no-nonsense roller built around deep wells of warm bass and slick-piston percussion. As it builds, Tin Man's signature acidic squelch dances in the remaining space, giving the track a sense of both life and depth. Next is 'Faded Delorian', an abyssal burner that refracts its ghostly tones around a panning labyrinth of crystalline synths. On the flip is 'Slammed Cadillac', a sinewy, stripped down stomper of clattering percussion and caustic 303s. 'Jacked Up Impala' finishes the record as a jacking acid tool. Founded by Jordan Poling, Division Point Industries is a new label built on the success of a collaborative residency with Cory James at Brooklyn's Bossa Nova Civic Club. Having hosted artists ranging from the established to the underground, Division Point Industries has crafted a no-nonsense take on deep house and techno that is rich in history while remaining focused on the future.

With a solid collection of productions and remixes to his name, Arturo's music has helped define the unique and emerging Silicon Valley sound. This approach blends the driving, beat-laden beauty of techno with the soulful, deep melodies of house.

Born and raised in San Jose, California, Arturo Garces has been surrounded by dance music his entire life. The son of a serious collector of funk, soul and disco records, Arturo grew up listening to the roots of house music. Interested in making his own music, Arturo got hold of a sampler in 1995 and hasn't looked back since. These early influences are evident in his works as a DJ and producer today for labels such asMagnetic Recordings (DJ Sneak) and Phil Weeks' Robsoul imprint.

He has new projects and remixes coming out continually on the underground scene, hitting the right mood for the dance-floor consistently. In addition Arturo is the label manager for San Jose's house imprint Jump Recordings, Beat Bum Music, and techno label Resource Records. He also has a new Tuesday night residency in downtown San Jose, Ca Rhythm Ritual. With his hard work, dedication and passion for dance music, Arturo is definitely one to watch.

This is Arturo's 3rd release on Cross Section with the label boss Chris Simmonds on remix duties.

Gone with the flow - after a little break the German musicians Julius Steinhoff and Abdeslam Hammouda revived their musical adventures and left all electricity untouched this time. For their new acoustic project the duo has chosen the alias Tonight Will Be Fine - a name that is familiar to those who followed their work in the past years. As Steinhoff & Hammouda they used the name for their first 12" on Smallville Records, the worldwide acclaimed house and beyond label and record store that Steinhoff co-runs. Now they reheated the phrase and chose it as the alias for a bittersweet acoustic singer/songwriter project. Their wonderful, captivating new musical venture came into life due to happenstance and old ferventness. After their trips into house music the duo parted geographically. Hammouda moved away from Hamburg while Steinhoff strengthened his label Smallville, built up a global DJ career and produced acclaimed house records on diverse labels - solo" and with his buddy Dionne as Smallpeople. In all the time Steinhoff and Hammouda never stayed out of touch, bound together through deep friendship.

At some point they met again for musical missions and started to record music that had nothing in common with their prior work. Steinhoff re-activated his self-taught guitar abilities and entered the studio of his friend Lawrence in the back of the Smallville record store to capture some steeldrums and vibraphone sounds. Hammouda brought more instruments like a banjo, a violine and tablas and they just started to record sketches and songs. Hammouda's musical backround leads to a widespread range of influences while growing up, before he got into producing hip hop and electronic music. For Steinhoff, the transformation from an electronic music producer into a singer/songwriter wasn't that new too, as his first musical steps have been routed in band music. Until his late teenage years, when he discovered house and techno, he played drums in a local indie group in Freiburg and for Tonight Will Be Fine he now also freed his old drum kit from cellar dust.

After the duo felt that their musical communication elevates into something more profound then a session thing, they provided themselves with additional instruments like new guitars, claves, an accordion, a piano and more. Initially the songs were very rough and sketchy. Musical ideas that did not have a real song structure. Then we started to arrange the tracks and added our voices and lyrics.' both reveal. Their charming singing covers almost the whole album with a characteristic sense of deep winking melancholy. Their lyrics are exercising the possibilities of words and are inspired by life, the world and all the those questions a human can ask in his time on earth. At some point both started to show their new songs to some friends and they liked it and encouraged the duo to move on. Somehow one of the tracks landed in Toshiya Kawasaki's mailbox. He instantly fell in love with it and asked if they would like to do an album for Mule Musiq. They did what was asked and after some reformatting and reinventing Tonight Will Be Fine originated 13 songs full of sweeping acoustic guitars, airy rhythms, piano melodies, gloomy accordion emotions, touching voices and a bunch of other exotic instruments, done without the help of electronics. They all form Elephant Island' - an incredibly inspirational place where impressionistic lyrics dance gently with kinetic acoustic music that comes out of plain jamming fun. The melange of a structured song base and free improvisation injects all songs a loose feeling. And shows two handsome fellas carving out their own musical utopia. It is a warming one, full of hope and musical freedom powered by an unabashed instrumental playfulness.
nstrumental playfulness.





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